PART1
Officers found several victims throughout the classroom; throughout the building. There were several people hiding in locked buildings, locked doors, behind desks. As you can imagine, very frightened. Very scared," Jordan said Monday."Some of them were injured, so we had to rescue them out."
Q) this is a part of article. The part I need your help is "so we had to rescue them out".
I think it's different from just "rescue them" because there's "OUT" after "them". so I think "out" means "out of the building". here's an example I come up with,
ex) I saw her trapped in house burning, so I got into the house to rescue her out.
In this case, "out" means "out of the house", Right?????????
we can use "rescue sb OUT" when they are ,for example, in building or house?
If they are outside, not inside,then we can't use "rescue sb OUT"?
If I'm not correct can you explain "rescue sb out" meaning?
and I need you to offer some examples, lol~
Thank you~!
Update:Here's the link to the article
http://gma.yahoo.com/oakland-shooting-suspect-had-...
Answers & Comments
Verified answer
I saw that article too, and I too noticed the use of "rescue out."
This is not an expression used in English. It was just a mistake on the part of the speaker, who is generally speaking in rather broken fragments anyway. I think Jordan sounds rattled and tightly wound.
The circumstances must have been dreadful. The officers didn't know if the shooter was still in the building, and the people they needed to rescue were behind locked doors. The police had to break down each door, not knowing if they'd be met with a barrage of bullets, or a horrible scene of carnage, or traumatized victims, or what.
I think the speaker just blended "rescue" with "get them out" -- accidentally coming up with "rescue them out."
I think in ordinary speech, almost everyone would say "get them out." I think Jordan wanted to sound less casual for the reporters, and used "rescue" instead. But he isn't speaking smoothly at any time, and this is another example. I think he sounds like he had experienced considerable stress.
Examples:
> The fire fighters even got the family's dog out.
> The crew did not get all the passengers on the Titanic out.
> A bystander jumped into the icy water and pulled the little boy out.
> It took a can of tuna fish to get the cat out from behind the cupboard.
> The kids found a squirrel trapped in a trash can, but they got it out.
We also say "help out," but this does not necessarily have the same implication of "rescue."
> I have to move a sofa up one flight of stairs. Can you help me out?
> Help me out here, will you, and just tell me exactly why you're mad at me.
> The Coast Guard officer helped the passenger out of the life raft onto the cutter.
"Help out" also is a euphemism for "give alms; give or lend money."
> Hey, Freddie, help me out with a tenner, okay?
> In the movie "The Exorcist," a bum says to the priest, "Hey, Faddah, can ya help an old altar boy?"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ca0pz9UCBtU